Bedouin Dynasties

Historical Background

After the Abbasid Arab caliphate collapsed, several dynasties took over Syria and Iraq.
The Hamdanid dynasty ruled northern Iraq and Syria between 890-1004.The Hamdanid dynasty was founded by Hamdan ibn Hamdun (after whom it is named), when he was appointed governor of Mardin in SE Anatolia by the Abbasid Caliphs in 890. His son Abdallah (904-929) was in turn appointed governor of Mosul in northern Iraq (906) and even governed Baghdad (914). His sons were installed as governors in Mosul and Aleppo. The rule of Hassan Nasir ad-Daula (929-968), governor of Mosul and DiyarbakÄ±r, was sufficiently tyrannical to cause him to be deposed by his own family ! However his lineage still ruled in Mossul, a heavy defeat by the Buyids in 979 notwithstanding, until 990. After this, their area of control in northern Iraq was divided between the Uqailids and the Marwanids. Ali Saif al-Daula 'Sword of the State' ruled (945-967) Northern Syria from Aleppo, and became the most important opponent of the Byzantine Empire's expansion. To stop the Byzantine advance, Said al-Daula converted to Shiism in 969 and put Aleppo under the suzerainty of the Fatimids in Egypt, but in 1003 the Fatimids deposed the Hamdanids anyway.

The army includes contingents of Ghazi warriors - GhazÄ«'s organised themselves into semi-independant bodies which depended upon plunder for their livelihood, and were prone to brigandage and sedition in times of peace, attracting adventurers, zealots and religious and political dissidents of all ethnicities. In time, though, soldiers of Turkic ethnicity predominated, mirroring the acquisition of Mamluks, Turkic slaves in the Mamluk retinues and guard corps of the caliphs and emirs and in the ranks of the ghazi corporation, some of whom would ultimate rise to military and later political dominance in various Muslim states.

Using the army in FoG

There are several ways of using the army.

As a "better" Dailami army, using Dailami foot & Foot Ghazis as the main strike force but with sufficient support troops to allow them to contest open ground against mounted lancer armies

As a Dominate Roman style "mob" army, with massed cheap lancer cavalry to overwhelm the enemy by weight of numbers and attack their flanks - ideally unprotected if your opponent will be armoured.

As a standard arab army with an anvil of cheap supported spearmen, with strong lance or Ghilman cavalry on the flanks

In any of the above, the availability of massed lancer armed light horse allows the army to frighten any enemies likely light horse force.

Allies

The only allied contingent is Kurdish, which allows you to double the number of armoured lancer swordsmen fielded from 12 up to 24.

15mm Manufacturers supplying figures for this army

You can see some of the figures in the Ancients Photo Gallery also on this site. This listing only covers "arabic" figures - Turk/Hunninc/Mongol figures are omitted as nearly everyone does some of them.

Essex Miniatures - many generic Arabs, possibly too generic for todays tastes in their Ancients selection, plus a newer 50-strong Arab range of more tailored figures in their Crusades ranges that may be more suitable

Mirliton as sold by Vexillia in the UK have a new (June 2010) range of Crusades Era Arabs

Core Troops

The "specialist" manufacturers for this army are generally Outpost & Khurasan, with Museum offering troops in a very similar style. Arabs are one of Donningtons best ranges as well, and Essex have a good selection in their newer (ie not their standard "Arab") ranges. Lancashire Games unusually have some good arab cavalry to bulk out the light horse lancer/swordsmen needed.

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